Homeless Vets Fight New Battle

It's hard to believe, but tonight nearly a quarter million veterans will be sleeping under bridges, in alleys or in homeless shelters. One local shelter has had to cut housing by fifty percent since Hurricane Rita, but is now on its way to opening doors to more veterans in need.

James Miller joined the United States Army when he was 21 years old. The tough times of serving during the Vietnam era have never been erased. "You're a young man when you go over there," says James, "and then you see all the tragedy and it just takes a toll on you."

Four months ago, James was walking down the highway - heading to Texas - when he was stopped by a motorist. "He said I needed some rest," says James, "and he knew where this place was and he brought me here, and I've been here ever since."

A City of Refuge in Vinton has been this veteran's temporary home, but the hurricane-ravaged property is in less than comfortable conditions. Susan Mestayer with Rebuilding Together Calcasieu says, "The men are really in substandard living. You can smell the mold when you go in the rooms where they are. The buildings are just really outdated, very old."

Susan has been on the City of Refuge site for the past month, building two new log cabins for these veterans, thanks to a grant from Sears and K-Mart. "We're hoping that this is phase one of what we can do out here," says Susan, "we would like to be able to come out here and do more."

While these volunteers have never served on the war front, they say serving those who have is putting appreciation into action. "For us to be able to give just a little bit back to them is a great feeling."

Tuesday, more than a dozen volunteers with Delta Downs decided to donate their time to the homeless veterans. Volunteer Joey LaFleur says, "They've served and I believe it's our time to serve them."

The veterans who come through this shelter range from World War Two soldiers to present day Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans. James says he and the hundreds of thousands of other veterans who served years for our country sometimes just need an extra hand during tough times. "We're not all drug addicts or alcoholics," says James, "we all have problems and we can come here and kind of get our head together...and if it's time to move on, I can move on. But, I kind of like it here."

A City of Refuge is just one project that Rebuilding Together Calcasieu is working on. They also rehabilitate homes for the elderly, poor and disabled. For more information, you can call 433-1755.

At least 1,124 residents are without power from Pujol Road all the way to Moeling Street near La. 171 according to the Entergy Map. According to Entergy, a serviceman is working to determine the cause of the outage. Power will be restored as soon as possible. Entergy estimates power will be restored by 2:30 p.m. Traffic lights may be affected. Copyright 2018 KPLC. All rights reserved. More >>

At least 1,124 residents are without power from Pujol Road all the way to Moeling Street near La. 171 according to the Entergy Map. According to Entergy, a serviceman is working to determine the cause of the outage. Power will be restored as soon as possible. Entergy estimates power will be restored by 2:30 p.m. Traffic lights may be affected. Copyright 2018 KPLC. All rights reserved. More >>

KATC is reporting that one is dead in a forklift accident at a Proctor & Gamble plant in Pineville. The investigation is still in its early stages, but a Proctor & Gamble spokesperson provided the following statement to KATC. "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the P&G Product Supply Family passed away at our Alexandria manufacturing facility in a tragic accident during the early morning hours of May 24, 2018. The safety of our employees is a...

KATC is reporting that one is dead in a forklift accident at a Proctor & Gamble plant in Pineville. The investigation is still in its early stages, but a Proctor & Gamble spokesperson provided the following statement to KATC. "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the P&G Product Supply Family passed away at our Alexandria manufacturing facility in a tragic accident during the early morning hours of May 24, 2018. The safety of our employees is a...

Johnnie Hardman has been found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery with a firearm, and two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery for the July 2017 murder of Joshua Touchet. The verdict was reached by the jury after 43 minutes of deliberation. Theresa Schmidt was in the courtroom. To see all of her coverage of the trial, view her Twitter feed below. Tweets by KplcTschmidt

Johnnie Hardman has been found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery with a firearm, and two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery for the July 2017 murder of Joshua Touchet. The verdict was reached by the jury after 43 minutes of deliberation. Theresa Schmidt was in the courtroom. To see all of her coverage of the trial, view her Twitter feed below. Tweets by KplcTschmidt

For the rest of the day, there will be more storms and showers that pop up in the afternoon. This is the new normal with the heat during the afternoon, and the extra moisture in the air. The good news for today is that there are a lot more clouds today, and that is keeping the temperature down a few degrees. That should help limit any storms this afternoon. So we will still likely see some develop, but not as many. Tonight, any rain we see should come to an end.

For the rest of the day, there will be more storms and showers that pop up in the afternoon. This is the new normal with the heat during the afternoon, and the extra moisture in the air. The good news for today is that there are a lot more clouds today, and that is keeping the temperature down a few degrees. That should help limit any storms this afternoon. So we will still likely see some develop, but not as many. Tonight, any rain we see should come to an end.